Martin Luther
The curses of the ungodly are more pleasing to God's ears than the hallelujahs of the piousCollection: Ears
No gown worse becomes a woman than the desire to be wise.Collection: Wise
Adam and Eve derived the fullness of joy and bliss from their contemplation of all the animal creatures.Collection: Animal
I only ask in all kindness that the man who wishes at this time to have my books will by no means let them be a hindrance to his own study of the Scriptures, but read them as I read the orders and the ordures of the pope and the books of the sophists.Collection: Education
The multitude of books is a great evil. There is no limit to this fever for writing.Collection: Book
Ambition begat simony; simony begat the pope and his brethren, about the time of the Babylonish captivityCollection: Ambition
The bible is the cradle that holds the Christ, without him it is nothing more than wood and straw.Collection: Woods
In a mouse we admire God's creation and craft work. The same may be said about flies.Collection: God's Creation
In a delightful garden, sowing, planting or digging are not hardship but are done with a zeal and a certain pleasure.Collection: Garden
Amen meaneth assuredly, namely, that I am sure that petitions of this kind are accepted by my Heavenly Father, and heard by him, because he hath commanded us, that we should pray after this manner, and hath promised that he will hear us. Amen, Amen: that is, truly, certainly, so be it.Collection: Father
In the treatment of poverty nationally, one fact stands out: there are twice as many white poor as Negro poor in the United States. Therefore I will not dwell on the experiences of poverty that derive from racial discrimination, but will discuss the poverty that affects white and Negro alike.Collection: White
I have many times essayed thoroughly to investigate the ten commandments, but at the very outset, "I am the Lord thy God," I stuck fast; that very one word, I, put me to a non-plus. He that has but one word of God before him, and out of that word cannot make a sermon, can never be a preacher.Collection: Lord
I do not admit that my doctrine can be judged by anyone.Collection: Doctrine
Let every man recognize what he is, and be certain that we are all equally priests, that is, we have the same power in the word and in any sacrament whatever.Collection: Christian
There is on earth among all dangers, no more dangerous thing than a richly endowed and adroid reason, especially if she enters into spiritual matters which concern the soul and God. For it is more possible to teach an ass to read than to blind such a reason and lead it right; for reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed.Collection: Spiritual
The law of God cannot be fulfilled by external obedience.Collection: Law
It is the duty of a prudent minister of God to hold his ministry in honor and to see to it that it is respected by those who are in his charge. Moreoever, it is the duty of a faithful minister not to exceed his powers and not to abuse his office in pride, but, rather, to administer it for the benefit of his subjects.Collection: Pride
I am not of the opinion that all the arts shall be crushed to earth and perish through the Gospel, as some bigoted persons pretend, but would willingly see them all, and especially music, servants of Him who gave and created them.Collection: Art
How can a reason which hates God be called sound?Collection: Hate
However, they have not acquired a perfect mastery of the art of lying; they lie so clumsily and ineptly that anyone who is just a little observant can easily detect it. But for us Christians they stand as a terrifying example of God's wrath.Collection: Christian
[The papists] ought to have sympathy with us weak, poor Christians, and not condemn us or make fun of us because we are learning so childishly to toddle along the benches, nay, to creep in the mire, and cannot skip and dance, on such light feet and legs, over and outside of God's commandments, as they do, the strong heroes and giants ... God forbid that we should!Collection: Christian
Whoso hearkens not to God's voice, is an idolator, though he perform the highest and most heavy service of God.Collection: Voice
I hate myself, that I cannot believe it so constantly and surely as I should; but no human creature can rightly know how mercifully God is inclined toward those that steadfastly believe in Christ.Collection: Hate
It hath been said, that there is of nothing so much in hell as of self-will. The which is true, for there is nothing else there than self-will, and if there were no self-will, there would be no Devil and no hell. When it is said that Lucifer fell from Heaven, and turned away from God and the like, it meaneth nothing else than that he would have his own will, and would not be at one with the Eternal Will. So was it likewise with Adam in Paradise. And when we say Self-will, we mean, to will otherwise than as the One and Eternal Will of God willeth.Collection: Mean
He who knoweth and understandeth Christ's life, knoweth and understandeth Christ Himself; and in like manner, he who understandeth not His life, doth not understand Christ Himself. And he who believeth on Christ, believeth that His life is the best and noblest life that can be, and if a man believe not this, neither doth he believe on Christ Himself.Collection: Believe
God himself will milk the cows through him whose vocation that is.Collection: Cows
On coming to the house, they (the Magi), saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. (Matthew 2:11) [This] adoration, too, was not the same as the worship of God. In my opinion they did not yet recognize him as God, but they acted in keeping with the custom mentioned in Scripture, according to which Kings and important people were worshiped; this did not mean more than falling down before them at their feet and honoring them.Collection: Mother
O, when it comes to faith, what a living, creative, active, powerful thing it is. It cannot do other than good at all times. It never waits to ask whether there is some good work to do.Collection: Faith
Our bodies are always exposed to Satan. The maladies I suffer are not natural, but Devil's spells.Collection: Religious
Someone asked Luther, "Do you feel that you've been forgiven?" He answered, "No, but I'm as sure As there's a God in Heaven!"Collection: Heaven
Whoever would like to cherish such adders and puny devils - who are the worst enemies of Christ and us all - to befriend them and to do them honour simply in order to be cheated, plundered, robbed, disgraced, and forced to howl and curse and suffer every kind of evil, to him I would commend the Jews. And if this is not enough, let him tell the Jews to use his mouth as a privy, or else crawl into the Jew's hind parts, and there worship the holy thing, so as afterwards to be able to boast of having been merciful, and of having helped the Devil and his progeny to blaspheme our dear Lord.Collection: Worst Enemy
It cannot, indeed, be denied, that a good man is more worthy of love than a bad one.Collection: Men
The confidence that God is mindful of the individual is of tremendous value in dealing with the disease of fear, for it gives us a sense of worth, of belonging, and of at homeness in the universe.Collection: Christian
Many of the ugly pages of American history have been obscured and forgottenCollection: Ugly
A theologian should be thoroughly in possession of the basis and source of faith--that is to say, the Holy Scriptures. Armed with this knowledge it was that I confounded and silenced all my adversaries; for they seek not to fathom and understand the Scriptures; they run them over negligently and drowsily; they speak, they write, they teach, according to the suggestion of their heedless imaginations.Collection: Running
If the heart has been reformed by the spirit, it makes use of both the useful and delightful things created and given by God in a holy manner and with thanksgiving.Collection: Heart
Why do you rant and brag with such a spate of words, as if you wanted to overwhelm me with a sort of tempest and deluge of oratory-which nevertheless falls with the greater force on your own head, while my ark rides aloft in safety?Collection: Fall
Hereby we may understand that God, of His special grace, maketh the teachers of the gospel subject to the Cross, and to all kinds of afflicitons, for the salvation of themselves and of the people; for otherwise they could by no means beat down this beast which is called vain-glory.Collection: Teacher
God's entire divine nature is wholly and entirely in all creatures, more deeply, more inwardly, more present than the creature is to itself.Collection: Evolution
Holy Christendom has, in my judgment, no better teacher after the apostles than St. Augustine.Collection: Teacher
If I had power over the Jews, as our princes and cities have, I would deal severely with their lying mouthCollection: Lying
God works by contraries so that a man feels himself to be lost in the very moment when he is on the point of being saved.Collection: Men
Where faith is not continually kept in motion and exercised, it weakens and decreases, so that it must indeed vanish; and yet we do not see nor feel this weakness ourselves, except in times of need and temptation, when unbelief rages too strongly; and yet for that very reason faith must have temptations in which it may battle and grow.Collection: Faith
If you could understand a single grain of wheat you would die of wonder.Collection: Wheat
Whoever does not accept my teaching may not be saved - for it is God's teaching and not mine.Collection: Teaching
The only saving faith is that which casts itself on God for life or death.Collection: Saving
Riches are the pettiest and least worthy gifts which God can give a man. What are they to God's Word, to bodily gifts, such as beauty and health; or to the gifts of the mind, such as understanding, skill, wisdom! Yet men toil for them day and night, and take no rest. Therefore God commonly gives riches to foolish people to whom he gives nothing else.Collection: Night
Here is the truly Christian life, here is faith really working by love, when a man applies himself with joy and love to the works of that freest servitude in which he serves others voluntarily and for nought, himself abundantly satisfied in the fulness and riches of his own faith.Collection: Christian
A penny saved is of more value than a penny paid out.Collection: Pennies